The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Beaches, hills and the natural charm of Araku Valley

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Saturday, Jun 21, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Beaches, hills and the natural charm of Araku Valley

Nivedita Ganguly

Visitors flock to a favourite tourist destination despite the heat wave

Photo: K.R. Deepak

Enjoyable moments: Tourists sitting on the rooftop of a bus on their way to the fishing harbour in Visakhapatnam. —

VISAKHAPATNAM: The tranquil bays, pristine stretch of sun-kissed beaches, verdant hills and the beckoning charm of Araku Valley have attracted tourists year after year to the City of Destiny.

Nestled amidst the grand Bay of Bengal on one side and the breathtaking green cape of Eastern Ghats on the other, Vizag has emerged as a hot tourist destination over the years.

Travel plans

And this summer if the figures are to be believed, the intense heat wave in the region was no hindrance to the travel plans of the enthusiastic traveller.

According to the figures of the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC), the region has witnessed a surge of 11 per cent in the total tourist inflow to the region in the months of April and May as compared to last year, taking Borra Caves as the benchmark.

Rooms

Speaking to The Hindu, APTDC divisional manager P. Jeevan Prasad said that 1,500 additional rooms were booked this summer in comparison with last year’s figures.

To cater to the rising tourist inflow and to promote the virgin areas of the Valley, Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation initiated several projects during the last one year in order to achieve their objectives.

One of the recent projects of the corporation was the hill resort at Anantagiri developed at a cost of Rs.5 crores.

It has 16 valley-facing cottages that offer an enchanting view of the green caped hills and also have three strategically placed view towers for tourists to enjoy the scenic beauty of the valley, making it quite attractive to tourists.

A beautiful viewpoint at Galiconda was developed recently at a cost of Rs.5 lakhs.

The viewpoint offers a splendid view of the valley from a height of 3,000 sq. ft. above sea level.

There were plans to develop a swimming pool at the Mayuri Hill Resort at Araku that has 65-room capacity with a multi-cuisine restaurant.

While APTDC has set up several grandiose projects to cater to the tourism boom in the region, more than 30 small private resorts have also come up in the belt between Ananthagiri and Araku.

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